ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO TAPPEI NAGATSUKI, THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF RE:ZERO, THIS IS A TRANSLATION OF THE FREE JAPANESE WEB NOVEL INTO ENGLISHJAPANESE WEB NOVEL SOURCE: HTTP://NCODE.SYOSETU.COM/N2267BE/239/

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*Note: The events of BADEND 11 was merged with the loop in Ep 23 of the Anime*

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――How many times do I have to be hit with my own stupidity before I can understand?

[???: DESU, DESU! DESUDESUDESUDESU, DESU!!]

The shrill, deafening cackle echoed on.
Chest pumped, mouth stretched wide, drooling from the lips and mussing her long, red hair, a young woman was howling.
This woman’s abhorrent behavior, her bloodshot, gawking eyes, and the deranged posture she had taken were nothing like those of a human.

Falling to her knees, with both hands stretched to the sky and tears streaming from her eyes, the woman extolled her love.
All around the crazed woman, were submerged corpses scattered in an ocean of blood. Limbs torn apart, heads gouged open, lay countless cadavers stripped of human dignity.
In their midst, was the body of a black-haired youth, his throat pierced by his own sword.

Blood drowned every corner of Arlam village, as every member of the expedition lay upon the ground, deprived of the last sign of life.
The moment their most powerful asset, the Sword Demon, fell in the ambush, the tide was already set.
The rest was a massacre by the “Unseen Hands”, an uninterrupted chain of death-wails until the last of them met their end.

[Woman: BEHOLD MY DILIGENCE! WHAT COULD THIS CLEANSING OF SLOTH BE CALLED, IF NOT A TESTAMENT OF MY LOVE! DESU! AAAH! MY ADORATION, MY FAITH, MY UNSHAKABLE LOVE! RECEIVE IT! ACCEPT IT! MAY IT NESTLE WITHIN YOUR EMBRACE――DESU!!]

Decrying her love, tears pouring, the woman barked amid the sea of blood―― her flesh stolen, her mind invaded by the monster, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
After wiping out Subaru’s rescue party in one fell swoop, despite the loss of his cultists, the madman went on proclaiming his love.
When――

[???: ――What… happened?]

A winded girl muttered as she ran down the path trailing from the village.
Impatiently wiping aside the silver hair sticking to her forehead, she scanned her amethyst eyes over the carnage. ――Emilia’s eyes widened at the villagers submerged in the ocean of blood, and noticed it.

[Emilia: suba.. ru?]

Lying in the center of the carnage, was a youth she had known well.
Just what emotion flashed through her mind in that instant? The feelings in those widened eyes were far too complex, such that no one, not even herself, could have understood it.
Only, Emilia’s lips trembled, as she,

Emilia’s expression was stunned, and one not accepting reality. In her stead, Puck flew out in a terribly panicked state.
Flying circles around Emilia while fixing his glare on Petelgeuse, standing alone in that carnage, his black round eyes were rife with alarm and hostility.

[Puck: Lia! Now, right now! Get away from here now! That thing…… you mustn’t meet with the Sin Archbishop! The Trial will begin! If it gets imposed on you, it will be horrible!]

[Emilia: Puck……?]

[Puck: I just remembered, I finally remembered! That bastard…… meeting that bastard finally made me remember! Why did I forget…… and there’re so many things I still can’t recall…… unless, I can’t remember until things become like this…… but if so, then!]

Facing towards the sky, Puck stretched out his little body as far as it would go, and screamed.

[Puck: THAT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAID――ECHIDONA!!]

Loaded with frustration and loathing, the shout echoed out as Puck panted, shaking his head. All the while, Emilia fell speechless in front of her utterly changed companion.
Having heard the scream, the madman slowly stood upright.

[Petelgeuse: Well well…… how pleased to MEET YOU! DESU!]

Slanting his upper body, Petelgeuse violently yanked at his long red hair, mercilessly pulling as blood began seeping out of his scalp.
Watching this act of self-injury, horror and disgust flickered across Emilia’s eyes.

The madman cackled, his voice quaking the atmosphere.
Just like this, the howling madman slanted his body as he observed the petrified Emilia from head to toe then to her upper body, practically licking her all over with his gaze,

[Petelgeuse: ……in, credible, desu]

He spilled this sigh of wonder.
A crisp peal of a clap. Petelgeuse was clapping, directing his applause at Emilia.

[Petelgeuse: Incredible―― DESU! A FIGURE SO PERFECT FOR A VESSEL! A VISAGE SO REMINISCENT OF THE WITCH IN LIFE! Since you’ve prepared such a magnificent vessel, there is no more need for DEBATE! DESU! THE TRIAL! THE TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE WITCH GENE SHALL TAKE ROOT!]

[Puck: Silence, madman! You take one step towards that child! And I will make you regret ever being born――! Utterly!]

[Petelgeuse: In the face of love, pain and fear are all offerings for the sacrifice…… nothing you say would give me reason to stop, desu]

Puck met Petelgeuse’s raving with a threat, but the madman didn’t seem to mind. Dragging its steps along the ground, it slowly approached, while Puck only seemed to tremble, unable to do a thing.

[Emilia: Puck! Wh-what should I…… what should I do!? I-I’m…… and Subaru… over there he’s……]

[Petelgeuse: THE TRIAL! THE TERMINUS OF THIS DILIGENT SOUL IS SELECTED DESU! AN OCCUPIED VESSEL, WOULD INTERFERE WITH THE INJECTED SOUL DESU! THE CONTENTS, ARE UNNEEDED――DESU!]

Emilia desperately called to Puck, who was hugging his head. While Petelgeuse went on towards the bewildered pair without stopping.
Watching Petelgeuse making strange motions with his fingers and licking his lips, blaring alarms sounded inside Emilia without end.
At the sight of his deranged eyes, Emilia gasped, and, in a choking voice,

[Emilia: no……I’m scared, daddy……h]

She whimpered, pleading for someone to rely on.
Seeking help in a voice so quiet that no one could have heard it.

Petelgeuse completely ignored this as he extended his hand towards Emilia. Surely, beyond that hand, would be the invisible Authority of Sloth, the Unseen Hand.
It would be reaching to bind Emilia’s petrified body, to enact its evil designs――

Finally we could see how crazy Petelgeuse is in the literature version haha. Thank you for the chapter Chicken! Even though lots of question are popping out from my head regarding Puck-Echidona-Petelgeuse relationship now…
Ohh and speaking about relationship, congratz on your new girlfriend~!

This death wasn’t animated. I believe this was the same loop where Subaru went to the Archive to try and get Beatrice to leave. Not sure if this is even in the light novel since it’s taking so long to get the translated versions completed. I would have bought all 9 volumes at once if they were available.

If this loop is merged in the ln, then it may not be significant enough for the story. But from this chapter, it looks like this post 11th death story contains some important points for plot. Why the writer do that? 🤔

I just meant, that for a web novel reader, who only saw anime it is quite important information, without this information this reader will be confused while reading this segment of Web novel. And if this reader is not going to read LN version of Re:zero this information is quite relevant. Btw, wanted to thank you for your gigantic-amazing work. I wish you the best, Chicken.

In my understanding it’s something like a mark of qualification or a curse that gives people access to witchcraft. I’m not sure how dead Echidona can give it away, while in her matrix-world. And I don’t understand how Subaru didn’t have one to begin with, since the RBD is clearly a dark ability of a witch.

the way echidona explained is she just gave it through tea though i think your refering to authority as genes are etentirely different because she activated a gene which gives him invisible hands explained that when you kill an arch bishop you can get his powers

The witch gene is in my understanding exactly what it means… A gene.
Passed to new vessels, it becomes a mutation in their body that allows them to receive the power and Authority of whoever’s genes were passed to them. (*I don’t remember if this is spoilers, I remember this being stated in the previous chapters but read at your own discretion*) Subaru has the Authority of Pride since Return by Death is the power derived from that authority, but he doesn’t know how to use it for obvious reasons.
When Subaru killed Beetlegoose for good, its implied the genes of Sloth were passed on to him and (*spoilers for sure*) once the gene manifests itself more strongly in Subaru, as well as him having ability to use his mana, he will be able to use the Unseen Hands as well.

In one glance, Subaru may seem really dumb. But you have to remember his character represents a “what if” situation if an average nobody was to be thrown into a parallel world and how they would react in a place they know no one and nothing about.
Now with that in mind, Subaru has absolutely no idea why he has RBD, except that the Witch of Envy loves him for some reason. And he also doesn’t know what is this whole talk about witch genes and why should he care about it. He probably must’ve imagined it was just how Petelgeuse used to talk about the metaphors described in his gospel. Petelgeuse was just a deranged man that didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut about anything, that ended up being useful to the readers and watchers of the anime because it’s good lore dump for us to understand more about the sin archbishops and how they can use these forbidden powers.
I think it’s gonna be up to Echidona to give him the revelations he needs so badly so that he figures what he can finally do from a powerlevel perspective.

Whoah….the Trial isn’t to find a body to resurrect Satella in. It’s to find a body to resurrect ECHIDONA in. That’s why Beako knows Petelgeuse. The experiments with the Lewes’ failed because they were just ordinary girls. But with Emilia…..she’s already capable of great magic.

If you go back and read Arc 4 Chapter 3 again, Betty says “Now even you’ve left me, Juice”

That in combination with Puck’s cry to Echidona here, and we have evidence of Echidona deeply tied to the witch cult. Betty can only know Petelgeuse through her contract with Echidona. Timeline-wise it’s the only possibility. And now we have Puck making reference to another contract with her.

I mean I wouldn’t put it past Echidna.
But I feel as if “the trial” petelguese spoke of May be a means to end the series.

I can see it now. Qeen Emilia having to face the harsh reality, leaving Subaru in order to become a pleian to save Earth. Or they combine forces to save the Earth, idk but it sounds interesting. Anyway, I’m just gonna keep writing my fanfictions somewhere else

i wonder if the thing with Emillia not being allowed to meet the cult, was changed in the ln since puck did not seem so concerned in the anime about Emilia fighting against Juice, but maybe it was something the anime changed?

This was super confusing but still a great creepy read. I might just have to re read what you have out so far and or re watch the anime, just to remember which part this is in reference too even though it wasn’t accually in the show.

Apperently the first half of the anime is getting an english dub by Funimation set to release this summer so it will be a good opportunity (god speed to anyone who thinks they can even match the origanl Japanese).

Also that picture make me wince every time I look at it.

Congrats or your date! I’m sure it went better then you think it did you lucky stud muffin
; ) Thanks as always and see you at part 4.

Aaaaahaha!!! Chicken-sama is a believer in Love. MY BRAIN TREMBLES!¡!¡ Be sure to save a little bit of that love for us. Congratulations on the girlfriend and thanks as always for your splendid work. ❤